The Peril and the Power!

The Fantastic Four witnesses Doctor Doom continuing to put on a display of his new power. The Thing becomes impatient waiting for Reed's plan to come to fruition and tries to leave to fight Doom alone but is stopped by Mister Fantastic. Suddenly, Wyatt Wingfoot enters the Baxter Building to warn them that Johnny has rushed off to fight Doom alone.

Just as Wyatt is telling the rest of the Fantastic Four these troubling news, the Torch has caught up with Doctor Doom and attacks him with full force. Despite this, Doom is able to deflect Johnny's flame attacks thanks to the Power Cosmic that he now controls, ultimately blasting the youthful hero away in a whirlwind. While back in Latveria, the weakened Silver Surfer struggles to break free from his cell. He is found by one of Doctor Doom's guards who starts beating the alien for his own amusement.

Meanwhile, the Black Panther has provided the Fantastic Four with a new ship to follow Johnny and Doctor Doom. When the FF find Doom, the dictator makes short work of their ship by crushing it with a tree. Reed, Sue and Ben manage to escape the ship being destroyed, but Doom is coming to attack. He focuses on the Thing, in order to get revenge on the monster for crushing his hands during a previous encounter. Even though he puts in his best efforts, Ben is no match for the new cosmically powered Doctor Doom, but he still continues to fight. At that very moment, the Watcher continues to struggle watching the battle from his viewing post on the moon. Unable to resist the temptation of interfering with the battle, the Watcher decides to visit a far off sector of space where a new race is evolving in order to resist the temptation.

Back on Earth, Reed and Sue climb to safety and find Johnny on the battlefield. They manage to catch up with Ben and Doom. The Fantastic Four begin attacking Doom in a concentrated effort, but whatever they try to do, Doom has a countermeasure to stop them. Elsewhere in Europe, the Inhumans have landed their ship and begin trying to build a new home, however they are spotted by some locals. Highly prejudiced of these new strangers, some xenophobic locals try to attack the Inhumans, but are sent fleeing when Gorgon stomps his hooves.

Finally, the Fantastic Four have distracted Doom long enough for the construction of Reed's Anti-Cosmic Flying Wing to be completed and deployed. It begins to weaken Doom as it flies by, and when it takes off, Doom goes after it in a vein attempt to try and destroy it. This is all part of Reed's ultimate plan as the flying wing takes Doom high up into the atmosphere where he impacts with the barrier placed around the Earth by Galactus. Because he has the Surfer's powers, this barrier seemingly destroys Doom upon impact, ending his threat. As Reed explains what happened, they witness as the Silver Surfer's surfboard -- no longer carrying Doom -- flies toward Doctor Doom's castle and its rightful owner.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing), Silver Surfer, Doctor Doom, Wyatt Wingfoot, Black Panther, Watcher, Inhumans (Black Bolt, Medusa, Crystal, Gorgon, Karnak, Triton)

Continuity Notes

• Doctor Doom mentions his hands were injured the last time he battled the Thing, this happened in Fantastic Four #40.

• The Watcher refuses to interfere because his people have made a vow not to interfere in the lives of those they watch as revealed in Tales of Suspense #53 and Original Sin #0. Uatu leaves his observatory on the moon to resist the temptation to interfere as he had previously interfered in the lives of the Fantastic Four during the arrival of Galactus in Fantastic Four #48-50.

• The Inhuman royal family managed to leave the Great Refuge last issue. The Inhumans previously experienced human prejudice toward them seen in Thor #150-152, and Inhumans Special #1.

• Doctor Doom slams into the barrier that Galactus put around the Earth to trap the Silver Surfer on the planet after his betrayal in Fantastic Four #50. As explained in Daredevil #37, Doom survived this impact, and the barrier slowly returned him to the ground while stripping him of the Power Cosmic. As revealed next issue, the Power Cosmic is returned to the Silver Surfer.